Dairy-Free Greek Style Pizza

This pizza recipe starts with a simple, homemade crust, uses a nondairy mozzarella-style cheese instead of dairy cheese, and tops it off with ingredients popular in many Greek dishes- spinach, red onions, and Kalamata olives. Sink your teeth into this dairy-free delight!

Preparation time: About 90 minutes (including time for the dough to rise)

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2 large pizzas (about 8 slices per pizza)

Pizza Dough

1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1-3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)

1 teaspoon olive oil, plus extra for oiling the bowl and dough

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and add the honey or sugar. Add the teaspoon of oil and the salt and stir.

Gradually add the flour, alternating between whole-wheat and white. Mix well after each addition using a wooden spoon or your hands to make a soft dough.

Turn out the dough onto a floured board and knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour if necessary.

Lightly oil the sides of the mixing bowl. Put the dough back into the bowl, turn the dough over once to coat with oil, cover with a towel or waxed paper, and then let set in a warm place (under a sunny window or on top of a warm stove, for example) for about 60 minutes.

Divide the dough in half. Reserve one half for later, if desired (store in the refrigerator or freezer).

Assembling the Pizza

4 cups baby spinach leaves

3 to 4 large Roma tomatoes, sliced

Half of a red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced Kalamata or black olives

1 recipe pizza dough (see preceding recipe)

1 cup prepared pizza sauce (more or less to suit your taste)

2 cups shredded mozzarella-style nondairy cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and wash and slice the vegetables. Set aside.

Spread the prepared dough (see preceding recipe) on a 14-inch pizza pan. You can roll the dough out first on a floured surface or simply press the ball of dough onto the pizza pan and distribute it evenly using your hands.

Spoon on the pizza sauce and spread it to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the dough. Add the vegetable toppings.

Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown lightly. Be careful not to overbake.

Remove the pizza from the oven and then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella-style nondairy cheese evenly over the pizza. Place the pizza back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

Some natural foods stores carry a soy-based substitute for feta cheese, a goat milk cheese popular in Greek and Middle Eastern cooking, which you can use instead of mozzarella-style cheese.